Now Reading: Over 1 crore to sing Vande Mataram at 25,000 locations on Sept 25
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Over 1 crore to sing Vande Mataram at 25,000 locations on Sept 25
More than one crore students, teachers, parents and members of the public are expected to sing the complete Vande Mataram simultaneously at over 25,000 locations across India on September 25 as part…
More than one crore students, teachers, parents and members of the public are expected to sing the complete Vande Mataram simultaneously at over 25,000 locations across India on September 25 as part of the Namami Bharatam campaign organised by RSS-affiliated Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, The New Indian Express reports. The programme will begin at 11 am, with the main Delhi event at PGDAV College campus in Nehru Nagar. The event has been listed by the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records for record certification as the largest simultaneous collective singing of the song.
The Hindu reports that the BJP-led Union government has pushed for all six stanzas to be recited since the song's 150th anniversary in 2025, with the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing directions in 2026 and Parliament passing the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026. The Hindu says the actions amount to compulsion, as argued in a Supreme Court petition by T.M. Krishna. The Court has observed that the state may decide what the National Song is but cannot penalise conscientious objectors, citing the Bijoe Emmanuel (1986) judgment.
In a separate report, The Hindu notes that the full version of Vande Mataram was sung at the 26th annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belagavi attended by Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, amid ongoing differences with the State government. The Karnataka government had ordered only the first two stanzas at State functions, but the Governor asked the Chief Minister to reconsider, saying the restriction was contrary to Union government guidelines.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The New Indian Express frames the mass singing as a record-breaking cultural event, omitting the legal controversy. The Hindu's editorial page leads with the government-critical view that the move imposes majoritarian preference, while its news report on the VTU convocation is neutral, factually noting the Governor-State standoff. Together the coverage shows the event is as much a political flashpoint as a patriotic exercise. The Supreme Court hearing on T.M. Krishna's petition will clarify whether silence at the song can be penalised under the 2026 amendment.
Coverage: 3 sources, 1 government-critical, 2 neutral
Sources (3): newindianexpress.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (government critical), thehindu.com (2) (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
